Lonely
by stubb
Summary: The most loneliest place in the world is in a crowd. Deneve/Helen.Slight yuri


Don't Own Claymore... ah well :/

_"No man is an Island" - John Donne Meditation XVII_

The north had awakened at last .The bleak sun had just crept up into the frozen sky. The silent winter landscape groaned and curled its icy spine against heavens eye. It was paradise to a peaceful ear, well, until one wily creature rose and broke the freezing silence.

"My ass is frozen!" crowed the frostbitten victim.

"Shut up Helen."

"What's going on?"

"Helen's rolled off her mattress again…"

It was too late to fall back into sleep and now the sun had perched itself upon the mountain peaks, watching over the hollowed entrance which emitted the painful howls. The first to stir and appear from the mouth of the cave was a rather unsettled blonde with short hair and an uncharacteristic scowl tangled across her face.

This was the third morning in which Deneve had arisen to Helen's cries. The only bright side that her mind could come with was that it had helped them rise early to the blistering cold morning and begin a new day in the north.

She raised her arms and stretched her long body, releasing kinks and tense muscle that had jarred over night. Her arms dropped and dangled to her sides and she stood lopsided and gazed out into the dead tundra. It was odd, to see the sun. The long forgotten light was usually tucked behind a sheet of hideous clouds that seemed stapled above them. It was a good sign. It was a better day today.

She quickly turned and padded back into cave to meet with other sleep filled eyes with various sounds of yawns, groaning and of course the dying whimpers of Helen cradling her now thawed out rump.

"Goddammit!I need to another mattress, why am I the only one that ends up on the ground?!"

"Why don't you sleep in the corner?" Deneve calmly voiced.

"No way! What if I land on Clare, I'd kill her!" Helen spat out while flipping over her mattress and pushing it against the wall.

The comforting silence drifted over the group once again as they orderly adjusted themselves and their sleeping quarters for another day. The only one missing was Miria . It was normal for each of them to take turns every night and circle exactly a mile around the icy den. It was ideal for quickly alerting the others if danger dare tread into their territory. She would return in one hour. No more and no less and the spectres went about their morning business in the North.

000

Helen and Deneve were the first to set off .Both veiled in long black cloaks .They racked their feet slowly through the thick layers of snow as they advanced down the side of the mountain and till they had found the familiar black pocket of water flanked with thick ice.

Deneve could almost hear Helen smirk as she unsheathed her sword and sprang towards to motionless body of ice, with one swing the frozen bone of water cracked and groaned before finally sinking into the abyss. She trotted over and peered into the dead pond.

"Seems less nippy today" she mused as she dunked a gloved hand into the murky pond.

"We don't feel the cold Helen, as if it would make a difference if it was warmer or not" Deneve silently corrected her.

Helen huffed out a stream of air from her nostrils and made a distorted face to Deneve who blankly shook it off. What Helen had said was partially true, the ice that was ritually broke every morning by Helen's blade seemed less resistant it have been the shy sun's rays that spotted over them for the first time since God knows when? Before she could ponder any further she was brought back to reality by the thundering splash of Helen colliding with the sub freezing waters.

"WOO! Man it is FREE-ZING! She howled as her blonde head immerged from the cold depths.

"Come on Denny! Strip and get in here!"

Deneve grimaced at the ghastly nickname that was bestowed upon her by Cynthia and which Helen had now used every chance she could get.

She began with the heavy should pads and felt a wave of relief as they dropped and clanked against the hard frozen ground, with time she was completely naked and slowly turned to enter the freezing pool. Helen sarcastically wolf whistled which Deneve shook off as she immersed herself in the cold waters.

"So…"Helen began

"So what ?"

"It is warmer today, aint it?" Helen happily grinned

"I wouldn't have noticed" Deneve bluntly stated as she then dived into the black void.

It was the most relaxing thing to dive here, it was silent and all around her was a great wall of a greenish black, she caught the sight off the odd pale fish skim closer to the forbidden surface before floundering down again into the blackness. Helen too had dived and zipped past Deneve with a cloud of flowed and circled around the chunks of ice that hung from the surface. This was their chance to escape the forever present gloom of remorse that hung over the forgotten ghosts. Everyone had their own way to brush off the past, either it be walking for miles on end to finding themselves lost in the stars on nights when the clouds parted and the thousands of sparkling eyes from heaven bore down upon them with their shinningscrutiny. Then there was the swimming, which Deneve preferred as all it required was a throw of a steady sword and swallowing your your pride as you dipped into the untouched underworld of the north.

Deneve had floated there for some time, deep in thought, before slowly returning to the surface to gulp in the thick frosty air. When she arose she found Helen nowhere in sight, she peered down and also caught no glimpse of the silver eyed poltergeist, until she felt something grab her leg and dunk her into the cold water.

Not .Again .Helen.

Bubbles flew to the surface of the water, Helen could even chuckle underwater. Without a second thought Deneve flung herself down into the black depths and gave chase to Helen who almost shrieked with gargled laughter, they sped up and down and around the underwater world. They frightened fish in their path and disturbed mud from the bottom of the pond. Then almost automatically they both sprang their heads' upwards the bright surface and inhaled oxygen into their deprived lungs.

Helen's hair was plastered to her pale face and her lips were a rosy pink with the curve of a mischievous smile planted in them. Helen bobbed around and took in her friend's wet appearance.

Deneve's soft short hair was flattened from its usual timid little spikes and her lips slightly part as she inhaled the cold morning air. Helen dared herself to let her eyes wonder and she found herself staring at _it._

The scar. It showed that something unnatural was churning inside them, something that god had not wanted. It curled in the skin that surrounded it and it ran from the bottom of the throat to the naval. As insightful as it was Helen did not bat an eyelid at it, she had grown accustom to the stigma that paved all their bodies, it was this imperfection that made them perfect, perfect for killing.

Helens stare did not go unnoticed by Deneve and she slowly dunked the top part of her body while simultaneously give Helen a rather unpleasant look

"Like what you see?" Deneve boldly growled, with the faintest blush painted on her cheeks.

"Wha ?I aint no perv ,sure were both women here aren't we? Just comparing the old battle wound that's all" she stated with a large lopsided grin.

It became silent and Deneve still found her self hidden by the black cloak of water, with a gentle sight she eased up and perched the back of her head against a coal black stone that poked out of the gaping hole, peeling her eyes shut and letting Helen's words sink in. The old battle wound was not exactly conversation material, as other aspects of being half breeds were not. Being menopausal and having no sex drive were excluded from the campfire talks and instead the weather mainly dominated their chatter. As if reading her mind, Helen fidgeted, and squirmed under the awkward silence, as if being pressured to not let out her shameless thoughts.

"What, Helen." Deneve finally mused, sensing her companions unusual body language.

"Umm…" was all she heard.

Now this _was_ something she didn't expect, the loud brash Helen to be unable to say what was on her mind?

"What's wrong Helen?" Deneve now had opened her eyes to find Helen right up to her face inches away from each other. Something definitely was up. It was hard to concentrate with Helen's ivory leg brushing against hers and she caught her breath as she felt each toe swooned over her ankle.

"What. Is. It. Helen." now growing angry she edged away from her.

With one last concentrated face Helen lifted her eyes and looked directly at Deneve.

"You…You ever get Lonely, Deneve?" she blurted out.

Deneve's eyebrows rose in bemused shock.

"What do you mean lonely? When was the last time apart from being on guard have you been left to yourself".

Helen fumbled with her fingers under the water, this was getting awkward.

"I mean lonely lonely, like…"she drifted on and mumbled the end of the sentence.

" Like how Helen?" Deneve had now leaned over from her rock and found Helen's lost silver eyes with her own.

"Like…not havin'…someone" she sadly admitted

"I mean ,like ,before the north, I could at least met guys but even then I was incomplete and now here in, this, this wasteland, _I feel like an island_, Deneve, that I feel I'm still…"she didn't finish. She didn't need too. Even with their callused and emotionless ways, all seven of the ghosts were still _Human ._

A strange pang emitted from the bottom of Deneve's stomach as she looked back at Helen's pitiful expression. She waded over to her dearest friend and wrapped her white arms around her in and icy embrace.

Helen's gasp broke the snowladden silence as Deneve softly whispered into her ear.

"No one is an island."

Before she could utter a word Helen's lips were sealed by Deneve's and the whole of her freezing world caved in as she buried herself into her loved one's wintry warmth where they clung together in the frozen water.

000

"Oh there they are now!" Cynthia happily chirped as she caught sight of two coal colored figures drifting towards the cave.

"Just in time, Denny" Helen slurred as another figure gracefully slide into view from the top of the mountain. Miria had returned, her eyes deep with years of battle and turmoil, the blue sky behind her contrasted her black figure as she surveyed the wilderness around her.

"She doesn't look happy." Helen lowly whistled.

"That's because she's seen you." Deneve shot with a small smile dawning upon her face.

"Hah! Looks like she needs to get laid, where's Tabby when you need her!

"Come on, Helen" Deneve calmly voiced as she pulled Helen's arm.

"Ohhhh! Ready for more? " Giggled the flirty half-breed as she encircled her arm around Deneve.

"Whatever you say."

They both made the remaining journey back to the cave with one shared thought.

They would never be lonely. For they both shared the same island.

The End.

Just a quick one-shot popped into my head.I love theses guys :)


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